1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to article carriers. More particularly, the invention relates to wrap-around article carriers formed by wrapping a flat carrier blank around a product configuration.
2. Background Information
Wrap-around article carriers are commonly used to package beverage cans and other articles. Basically, wrap-around article carriers are formed by grouping articles in an arrangement they are desired to be in after packaging to form a product configuration, and then wrapping a flat carrier blank around the product configuration. The blank is tightly drawn about the articles and the ends of the blank are connected to each other. Cutouts are often provided at the upper and lower portion of the side panels in order to grip the end portions of articles protruding through the cutouts. The cutouts allow the blank to be tightly wrapped around and to securely hold the product group. Wrap-around article carriers are economical to make and use because they typically use a smaller amount of paperboard than other cartons, and because they are stored and transported as a flat carrier blank rather than as a carton sleeve. Furthermore, wrap-around article carriers are sturdy and are well-accepted by the public.
The state of the art is believed to have limitations and shortcomings. Wraparound article carriers by their nature have been limited as to the number of articles they can hold before articles will spill out of the open ends of the article carrier. Normally, articles are arranged in two adjacent rows allowing the sides of the carrier to engage the outer portions of all of the articles in the carrier while the inner portions of the articles abut against each other. The end portions of the articles extend through the cutouts in the side panel, which prevent the articles from spilling through the open ends of the carrier. If three rows of articles were to be packaged in one of these wraparound article carriers, the articles in the middle row would not be in contact with the carrier, but would be held in place only by the pressure exerted by adjacent articles in the adjacent outer rows. Therefore, attempting to package a three-row product group using a typical known wrap-around article carriers increases the risk of the articles spilling out through the open ends of the carrier. Because this type of wrap-around article carriers normally can accommodate only two rows of articles, the number of articles that can be packaged is governed to a large extent by the desirable length of the package. Packages containing six articles are the most common, although packages containing eight articles can also be conveniently handled. Depending on the size of the articles, packages containing more than eight articles are not convenient to handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,431, assigned to Applicant's assignee, shows a wraparound article carrier for packaging three rows of articles. The '431 carrier is capable of conveniently packaging large numbers of articles, including product configurations of up to twenty-four. A separate reinforcement strip having clip-type support panels is glued to the underside of the top panel of the carrier. These support panels support the articles of the middle row and prevent the end articles from spilling through the open ends of the carrier. The reinforcement strip also helps form a two-ply handle for the carrier.
Applicant's invention provides a wrap-around article carrier which is believed to constitute an improvement over the known art.